The Big Brain Theory (2013– ) User Reviews

The penultimate episode killed it once and for all

[Joe-518 · 6/10 · 12 June 2013]

The show had it's moments, but it emphasized the drama way too much. The best engineer on the show by FAR is Joe, yet he got voted off in the first week because, why?

Most everyone of the contestants are totally annoying and could not hold down a stressful job in the real world, they get to play with their toys and they think they are a big deal; they're NOT.

Finally in the next to last episode, the WRONG TEAM won. Amy, the arrogant blankety-blank, stooped to playground name calling and deriding the other teams design because it was derivative? IT WORKED! Her teams' design, while "original", will NOT work in the real world. A sled that depends on friction to slow the car? As Carl Edwards questioned (but, curiously, to the other team) how will it work in low friction surfaces?

Answer: it will NOT work, so they FAILED.

One season and done, I am predicting that Corey will win for no other reason than I find Amy annoying as heck.

Too much backbiting, not enough science

[Mike_Wiggins · 6/10 · 10 May 2013]

After watching two shows I'm ready to call it quits. While there is interesting science and unique thinking going on, I am tired of the angst, the backbiting and the deplorable "who do you think should be fired?" programming formulae. Eecch!! To me it totally ruins the show to the point I don't care about ANY of the contestants.

And as for leadership, I haven't heard where leadership is one of the criteria for failure, but it's what caused the first person to be sacked. And what's with this bringing back a person who's been sacked. Where's the basis in reality for THAT?

There have been similar shows in the past, like "Junkyard Wars" and "Mythbusters" that make the science fun, interesting, and even educational. "The Big Brain Theory" needs to be "re-architectured" to show true innovation and scientific analysis at work. In other words, concentrate on the science and not on the interpersonal squabbling.

6 out of 10.

Good idea, bad execution

[norion · 6/10 · 21 June 2013]

I started watching from the very first episode. It's a great idea and I really wanted to like the show. It would be many times better if it was executed differently:

1) Eliminated contestants Not that many shows would keep the eliminated contestants around and the only reason why they were kept around here is because of the extra help. While it might not show on TV, I assume many eliminated contestants simply had no great incentive on giving out their best as all the hard work they had put out that point is really unaccountable.

2) Have a team of specialized technical helpers around! One can be innovative but doesn't need to be a welding expert. Many of these larger scale challenges all required some sort of welding skills. Not only does it take away valuable time from design but also putting so much emphasis on these engineers for one specific hands on skills. This show should have a few dedicated technical workers around to help each team to build so they have enough time to doing testing and correction.

3) Really put the emphasis on innovation The challenges all came down to last minute getting things to build. You don't have to build from scratch to be innovate. Give them a set of things and measure the improvement in percentage will do as well!

4) Title of the show We all know it's a catchy name from another popular sitcom, but in a way, it really gives less credibility to these awesome engineers!

There is a lot of room for improvement and hopefully the show creator also has a big brain to carry on and make the adjustments.

Enjoy The Science, but the cast is horrible

[wgrandy81 · 7/10 · 13 May 2013]

I really like the concept of the show and the projects they work on. How could you not like the host Kal Penn. I would give this show a 9 or a 10 if it wasn't for some of the contestants.

Gui - I hate to be mean and I absolutely hate bullies, but if all nerds acted like Gui, no wonder bullies beat up nerds. He is extremely arrogant and so far has shown nothing to back it up. He is a supposed brainiac without a brain. I was amazed how he played the dictator in his group when trying to shoot the projectile out of the air, and when their attempts failed miserably, he actually pushed the blame off on someone else. A horrible leader! Dan - OMG are you kidding me. Where did the show find this guy. This guy belongs on the Jersey shore because his IQ seems to be about on par with Snooki's. How can you claim to be "Frat Boy" and not be able to get along with ANYONE!! Dan made the show uncomfortable at times for my family to watch because of his childish attitude. He is one step above an Ape on the evolutionary chart. Give me a break, not only will WET not hire you, but I don't think any job where you actually interact with people would suit you. Maybe a mortician. Anyone who resorts to screaming and violence clearly has mental issues. Get Counceling! Lastly, did you actually go outside to to Pout because you had a hard time getting your way. GROW UP you big baby! Other than those two cast members the show is great. I look forward to later episodes when surely Dan and Gui will be voted off. Dan will surely get voted off the next time his team loses and if Gui ever tries to lead a group then it will be his last because it surely will fail.

Go Kal Penn!

Edison would have been eliminated

[chamberlindj · 6/10 · 7 June 2013]

As an engineer, I enjoy this show but feel too much emphasis is placed on a tight schedule. Edison tried many versions of the incandescent bulb until he hit on the working design. The show ought to give the teams time to work out the bugs in their designs. The duck float would have worked if the float material had been changed to closed-cell foam. It was not a "total failure" as the judges called it. I was disappointed in the judges, especially the welding engineer (from MIT no less) that faulted Gui for kicking Dan out when Dan attempted an aluminum TIG weld with no experience. Gui made the right choice. The woman's weld (which Dan smashed) was only a tack weld, and for Dan to compare that to a full weld is wrong, and the judge let it go. If Dan had been more cooperative, the team might have had time to fix the float. Faulting Gui for firing Dan and saying he has to work out the best in people was unjustified. Sometimes, you're better off without someone. Dan's abilities are not so outstanding, either, that it's worth putting up with him. I'm glad he became more agreeable. He must or he'll be totally ineffective.

Hogwash

[toddrainer · 1/10 · 5 June 2013]

The selection of Dan over Gui for the wildcard was pure, unadulterated politics. It had NOTHING to do with Dan's ability (or lack thereof) to be a good engineer or even a decent human being.

Dan's a bully, and you can rest assured that he'd have HATED working for me. He has no place in any environment where he should have any say in any decision that needs to be made, he should be treated like the child he is. And the judges chose to reward his immaturity by giving him the wildcard over one of the best engineers on the show. This isn't a show about engineering, it's a personality contest and reality TV.

I saw the selection, stopped watching, deleted the episode and cancelled the recording of the show.

I refuse to watch schlock which was what this was.

I sooo wanted to like this show!!! But I can't.

[themarkhams34 · 1/10 · 12 June 2013]

This show is meant to highlight the good old American know-how and creativity by pitting truly brilliant engineers and people from other walks in life against each other to invent something.

Instead, I feel it demonstrates the issues we cause ourselves. It paints us as capable engineers whose efforts are instead wasted by whining and ego. I was excited to watch in the beginning of the show, then it quickly turned to shame.

I am frankly ashamed of the way our best and brightest react to being wrong, being challenged, or being under pressure. I saw the academic equivalent of what a fitness nut may see in an American special on morbid obesity. That's just pure shame.

There is an old saying: It's better to be silent and thought to be stupid, than to speak and remove all doubt.

What's the sad part? I was much happier and actually more "blissfully unaware" of the condition of America before... This was disturbing to watch.

PLEASE DON'T PUT THIS SHOW BACK ON THE AIR!

Pure genius?

[mike-woytek · 2/10 · 22 September 2013]

There was not a single design that qualifies for 'genius'. Contestants are smart and very good/excellent in their respective areas, but the format of the show and dull tasks successfully nipped all that in the root.

Kal Penn is awful as a host, and him being a producer as well, in my mind raises a question isn't this show a little 'thank you' gift for jumping on in a presidential campaign back in a day.

As some people already said, "(it is like) the academic equivalent of what a fitness nut may see in an American special on morbid obesity. That's just pure shame."

Military Science

[cooluisgzz · 1/10 · 5 June 2013]

The host start by saying that the white house is awesome, and that he honors the president for being at top of the science, but what kind of science?, this show is about missiles, and explosives and how to construct the best one. The cast is horrible, a bunch of immature people.

They should have done experiments of alternative energy, or something that WE ACTUALLY NEED in this hunger era, we don't need more War or weapons, I dot get why they keep making this kind of mindless shows, and this is from the discovery channel, what a disgrace. Please do all of us a favor and don't watch this show so it gets cancelled.

When did Steve Jobs become an innovator???

[CherryBlossomBoy · 1/10 · 8 September 2013]

I know Kal Penn is just an actor and is not supposed to think, but he was the one that ad-libbed "Who's gonna be the next Steve Jobs?" in the first episode. Or at least the producers should have known better when they decided to use it as a tag in the trailer. Honestly, I thought the show was going to be about finding the best new salesman, because that's what Steve Jobs really was. A salesman. A pitcher. He was excellent at what he was doing and it was indeed important, but innovator he wasn't.

But then again, when I saw the first explosion in the trailer, and remembered Jobs' penchant for bombastic presentations, I figured it made all the sense. Because the show isn't about innovators either. It's just a bombastic mixture of "Survivor" and "Mythbusters". It's about blowing stuff up (content) and bickering and kicking people out of the show (format). I guess it might be entertaining up to a point but I never liked the format of "Survivor" so I held up for the first ten minutes of the first episode.

Maybe I could've watched for a bit longer but then there was that actor, Penn, irritating as hell. Trying too hard to sell serious attitude with such a dumb look on his face. Maybe it's a camp. And he really shouldn't be ad-libbing things but reading the given lines. Because immediately after calling Steve Jobs an innovator he went on to praise US President for "being all about bringing US back to the forefront of technology and innovations". Guess he didn't realize that the US President is an even bigger pitcher than Jobs was. The only thing he's really about is blowing stuff up and impressing idiots like Penn.

watching the roadrunner cartoons with very frustrated people

[corneliu-ticu · 1/10 · 4 March 2018]

This show is a shame for American engineering.

I can't believe these are the people that will make a better world through better tools for a better life.... the people that will find solutions ... judge what's missing and make the tools.

I have rarely seen a bunch of such frustrated, egocentric corporate-bible-playback behaviour monkeys in my life. This show should be called: fail army engineers.

Mr Penn must be high saying after so many lame ideas and all those huge failures of those very lame ideas, that the last episode will decide who is the next outstanding mind of American engineering.

Oh God, please have mercy of America and all those poor people that will depend on these geniuses.

Its not bad show.So give it a chance!

[werkis2002 · 1/10 · 16 June 2013]

Its not bad show, well it needs some changes in next season.I don't like drama in it. Also i didn't liked judges decisions on 30 minute board design challenge cause in my opinion they didn't picket best few times although what i know anyway i m not an engineer. And when i m watching BBT PG i always am thinking on scrapheap challenge where they build crazy machines from junk just in 10 hours (including design)although usually they are provided with junk they need/could be used for they build.

And speaking of using already existing designs Edison didn't invented light bulb he invented better light bulb.

Thomas Edison, the renowned and prolific American inventor, sports a laundry list of accomplishments including the invention of all manner of gadgets. What's interesting about the list, however, is that a significant number of things we attribute to Edison were simply refined by him in some fashion–like the humble light bulb.

Edison didn't invent electrical lighting or even the light bulb. He did, in fact, experiment widely with filaments and light bulb construction to help produce one of the first economically viable light bulbs. He also played a big role in the early development of power grids and power distribution. The actual invention of the light bulb is an accolade reserved for Sir Humprey Davy.

In 1806 Humprey Davy gave a the first demonstration of a light bulb. The device, what we now refer to as an arc lamp, arcs huge amounts of electricity between two charcoal rods. The illumination was extremely bright and impractical for residential application. The original demonstration was more a proof of concept demonstration than anything else as the arc lamp quickly drained the battery it was attached to. With the advent of more advanced electrical delivery systems (such as electrical grids and on-location generators) the arc lamp became more practical, albeit with limited application. The lamps were used for light houses and for public areas in need of bright illumination.

Various experimenters attempted to tame Davy's brilliant arc lamps into something more practical for small-scale use (such as in a home or business) but with limited success. Early attempts to create filaments were unsuccessful as the filament would eventually burn up thanks to the oxygen rich environment around it. Throughout the 19th century experiments were conducted with different filaments but it wasn't until inventors, starting with Frederick DeMolelyns, began pumping the air out and creating vacuum-chambered light bulbs that the filaments stood a chance.

Near the end of the 19th century, Edison turned his attention to the problem of electric illumination and, after much experimentation and studying of failed prior light bulb designs, began using strands of carbonized bamboo as a filament. His early light bulbs has a light span of only 600 hours, but that was long enough to catch the attention and interest of the public. Edison light bulbs were installed at prominent locations around New York City such as the downtown Macy's store; it was the first store in the world to be illuminated by electric light.

big brain theory...stupid

[ralfesmeijer · 1/10 · 21 January 2015]

I watched this show with a bunch of "smart" people, with some of the stupidest ideas ever.. never once have i seen a good working concept developed into an idea. "Smart" people tend to over think things, and that is obvious in this show. there were some good ideas that were dismissed by the also not so smart jury..

Even when a good idea gets voted by the jury the execution is soo bad it made me wanna cry and wonder what happened to the good old discovery channel, in times far gone when you learned something by watching this channel.

It's really a slap in the the face of actual smart people, don't watch it you will get dumber by the minute..